Introduction

A radical revolution in the spiritual development of society, carried out in the USSR in the 20-30s. XX century., an integral part of socialist transformations. The theory of the cultural revolution was developed by V.I. Lenin. The cultural revolution and the construction of a new socialist way of life is aimed at changing the social composition of the post-revolutionary intelligentsia and at breaking with the traditions of the pre-revolutionary cultural heritage through the ideologization of culture. The task of creating a so-called "proletarian culture" based on Marxist-class ideology, "communist education", and mass character of culture was put forward to the fore.

The construction of a new socialist way of life provided for the elimination of illiteracy, the creation of a socialist system of public education and enlightenment, the formation of a new, socialist intelligentsia, the restructuring of life, the development of science, literature, and art under party control. As a result of the implementation of the cultural revolution of the USSR, significant successes were achieved: according to the 1939 census, the literacy of the population began to be 70%; a first-class general education school was created in the USSR, the number of Soviet intelligentsia reached 14 million people; there was a flourishing of science and art. In the cultural development of the USSR came to the forefront in the world.

A distinctive feature of the Soviet period in the history of culture is the enormous role played by the party and the state in its development. The party and the state have established complete control over the spiritual life of society.

In the 1920s and 1930s, there was undoubtedly a powerful cultural shift in the USSR. If the social revolution destroyed the semi-medieval estates in the country, which divided society into “the people” and “the top”, then cultural transformations in two decades moved it along the path of overcoming the civilizational gap in the daily lives of many tens of millions of people. In an unimaginably short period of time, the material possibilities of people ceased to be a significant barrier between them and at least elementary culture, and initiation into it became much less dependent on the socio-professional status of people. Both in scale and pace, these changes can indeed be considered a nationwide “cultural revolution”.

Significant changes took place in the 1920s. in the life of the population of Russia. Life, as a way of everyday life, cannot be considered for the entire population as a whole, because it is different for different segments of the population. The living conditions of the upper strata of Russian society, which before the revolution occupied the best apartments, consumed high-quality food, and enjoyed the achievements of education and health care, deteriorated. A strict class principle was introduced for the distribution of material and spiritual values, and representatives of the upper strata were deprived of their privileges. True, the Soviet government supported the representatives of the old intelligentsia it needed through a system of rations, a commission to improve the life of scientists, and so on.

During the years of NEP, new strata were born that lived prosperously. These are the so-called Nepmen or the new bourgeoisie, whose way of life was determined by the thickness of their wallet. They were given the right to spend money in restaurants and other entertainment establishments. These layers include both the party and the state nomenklatura, whose incomes depended on how they performed their duties. The way of life of the working class has seriously changed. It was he who was to take a leading place in society and enjoy all the benefits. From the Soviet government, he received the right to free education and medical care, the state constantly raised his wages, provided social insurance and pensions, supported his desire for higher education through the workers' colleges. In the 20s. the state regularly conducted a survey of the budgets of working families and monitored their occupancy. However, words often disagreed with deeds, material difficulties hit primarily workers, whose incomes depended only on wages, mass unemployment during the NEP years, and a low cultural level did not allow workers to seriously improve their living conditions. In addition, the life of the workers was affected by numerous experiments in planting "socialist values", labor communes, "common boilers", hostels.

Peasant life during the NEP years has changed slightly. Patriarchal relations in the family, common work in the field from dawn to dusk, the desire to increase one's wealth characterized the way of life of the bulk of the Russian peasantry. It became more prosperous, he developed a sense of the owner. The weak peasantry united in communes and collective farms and organized collective labor. The peasantry most of all worried about the position of the church in the Soviet state, because it connected its future with it. The policy of the Soviet state towards the church in the 20s. was not constant. In the early 20s. repressions fell upon the church, church valuables were confiscated under the pretext of the need to fight hunger. Then a split occurred in the Orthodox Church itself over the question of the attitude towards Soviet power, and a group of priests formed a "living church", abolished the patriarchate and advocated the renewal of the church. Under Metropolitan Sergius, the church stood at the service of Soviet power. The state encouraged these new phenomena in the life of the church, continued to carry out repressions against supporters of the preservation of the old order in the church. At the same time, it carried out active anti-religious propaganda, created an extensive network of anti-religious societies and periodicals, introduced socialist holidays into the life of Soviet people as opposed to religious ones, and even changed the terms of the working week so that days off did not coincide with Sundays and religious holidays.

“Use whatever is at hand, and do not look for another!” - the unspoken slogan of the Soviet man. How else could one survive in a country of stable deficit?! When everything is not enough for everyone, because there are a lot of everyone, but everything is not enough.

In the USSR, there was one unspoken rule: “Do not throw anything away!” What is broken can be repaired, and what cannot be repaired can be taken apart for spare parts, and somewhere it will definitely fit. All these "know-hows" used in everyday life resembled an unspoken competition in which there were no losers. Successful inventions were shared with relatives and neighbors. With newspapers and magazines that were full of useful advice and more than once saved the Soviet people in a difficult economic moment.

They didn’t even think of throwing out old toothbrushes, they made double-sided hooks from them. The plastic handle of the brush was held over the stove until it melted. Then deftly bent the letter "S" while it hardened. Useful hook used in the kitchen or in the hallway. For the same purpose, a wooden clothespin was nailed to the wall: it securely held a towel or kitchen potholder.

Often, items of women's toiletry became simply indispensable in the household. Bows were kept in old women's tights. Laundry soap was “dressed” in a stocking - this is how a home-made washcloth for washing dishes turned out, it foamed perfectly. And who does not remember how rugs were knitted from nylon tights?

Nylon rugs lay in front of the doors of almost every Soviet apartment, they were not demolished. The tights were cut in a spiral, then rugs were crocheted from these “threads”. Round and square. And not only from tights, but also from different knitwear, even from T-shirts and T-shirts.

Almost every house had a plaid sewn from scraps, or knitted pads for wooden chairs. And how many times grandmothers let down sweaters, and then again knitted hats, scarves and warm socks for their grandchildren from the same threads. Then they were dissolved again when the child had already grown. If the sock is holey, the lower part was cut off without pity, and knitted further from the knitted elastic with other threads. Or with skins they lengthened the sleeves or the hem of the jacket, if it became small.

In the USSR, glass containers were almost worth their weight in gold. Even when treating relatives with pickles, jars were always asked to be returned. Seedlings were stored in milk pyramids and juice bags. At labor lessons, schoolchildren were taught to make bird feeders from kefir bags or tie coffee cans, pencil boxes were obtained in the form of poodles.

Not wanting to say goodbye to old records that cracked more than played music, they made flower pots out of them. The vinyl was held over a fire until it was soft enough, then shaped into the desired shape. From empty matchboxes they made boxes for small parts, screws, nuts, nails.

The resourceful mind of the Soviet man was reflected in the cinema. Recall at least the dialogue between Nadia Klyueva and her omniscient friend Susanna from the movie “The Most Charming and Attractive”: “That’s why you told Volodya that you were soaking the eraser in kerosene? Now he can do it himself. And it is necessary that what he likes was only with you. And nowhere was it possible to buy or get it! May all the best be only with you! - So all the girls run after him! - Well, let them run, he will marry you!

Here it is, Soviet wisdom: you know how to soften the eraser, you look, and your personal life will turn out well!

Useful advice was even printed in "smart" magazines. In the 80s, Science and Life published a recipe on how to bring the domestic eraser "Architect" closer in terms of erasing properties to the Kohinorov "elephant" (the best imported gum of that time). To do this, it was necessary to place the eraser overnight in a container with kerosene. True, he stank then terribly.

Ballpoint pens, which in Soviet times were mostly refillable, could last a lifetime. In order for the paste to sink without leaving traces, sunflower oil or cologne was dripped into the rods ...

Everything that failed or served its time was used in the USSR. So, women turned an empty tube of lipstick into a needle bed. And the lipstick was used to the last drop. In what other country did women, all as one, carry lipstick with a match stuck in their purses?

Previously, teeth were whitened with ordinary iodine, they first turned yellow, and then, oddly enough, turned white. For the same purpose, they used a green walnut skin!

Ever since Soviet times, shooters on tights have learned to stop with nail polish. Sometimes in ladies' handbags they found ... a jar of BF-6 glue. He stopped the "creeping" stockings and glued them stronger than if they were sewn. And who first guessed to put tights in the freezer to prolong their life or darn with their own hair - we will never know this.

Here is such a household, but it was .......

Let's start with something that no Soviet person could do without! Matches!

This product of the Balabanovskaya experimental factory at a price of 1 kopeck per box truly was and remains a product not even of the first, but of the highest necessity, although ... Of course, there are lighters, and the stove already knows how to light up on its own, and sometimes at night, without finding matches and lighters, I smoke from her! And this trick is not entirely safe ... But all it takes is a match ... By the way, the disposable lighters that are now common were terribly valued, even empty ones did not disappear in the USSR - a valve was cut into them and reused. There were two reasons - firstly, Soviet gas lighters worked worse than current Chinese ones, and secondly, it was just "fashionable" ...

Here is another essential item. By the way, when any cataclysm occurs, Matches and Needles instantly become a terrible deficit. This is so by the way, do not take it for panicking ...

Of course, you can say to me: "But what about salt?" and you will be absolutely right, it's just that I

there is no photo of a pack of salt of those years for 7 kopecks. - stone PO 10 - "extra" - per pack! Matches, Needles and Salt!

There is a similar modern one: the one on the left...

but then, after she pulled all my pockets, I began to live the old fashioned way - with change in my pockets!

So, coin

And now Another item without which a normal Soviet person would not go shopping.

This is Avoska! True, I did not like her and tried my best to replace them with plastic bags ...

Universal wand - lifesaver in shopping trips. Almost out of service

does not take up much space, in the case of application - stretches to incredible sizes.

A little about the history of the name (if someone does not know). In the early sixties, when the country began

the process of food shortages, Arkady Isaakovich Raikin went on stage with this net and

explained: "What is this mesh Avoska! Perhaps something will be thrown into the sale and where is it thrown

put always there!" By the way, Avoska has another important aspect of the application - combat!

A couple - three cans of any canned food in a metal package carelessly thrown into Avoska

turn it, in capable hands, into a terrible weapon of any fight ...

Other disposable nonsense like these cups was also appreciated ...

And how the packages were valued ... Firstly, even a cheap T-shirt cost a ruble, and any package with handles - 3,

and if the picture on it is beautiful, then as many as 5 ...

Girls with bags, like today with "Vittons", went ...

The packages were taken care of, washed and washed, even simple packaging ...

Bags unfortunately a disposable thing therefore did not survive.

Well, now I ask you to love and favor! The first (and, I must say, the most reliable)

computer trading! In the early 90s, they were eagerly bought by foreign tourists ... But what about a rarity, sir ...

Accounts! To be precise in the title "Accounts stationery"! Real craftsmen

counted on them with such speed that it seemed incomprehensible to the mind.

Unfortunately, I could not find photos of those "children's" bills, but all their difference from

big was in size and nothing else.

Yes, there were Bukhs at that time. Imagine the annual balance of the accounts...

However, there was also mechanization - from the simplest Felix

Which I had to master because it seemed to cost 15 rubles

A Soviet-made calculator is like this:

Already 220 rubles in 1979 ... So I learned to count on Felix ...

And to the "quick" ... (this is the same Felix, but with a motor)

And even before the Iskra. But this is already the end of the 80s, my first PC ...

The red reset button on the keyboard was especially pleasing ...

We mocked the secretaries and glued the signature "any key" to her ...

And here is another of the main food products, or rather the container from under it.

Milk! Kefir! Yogurt! Acidophilus! And all in a glass bottle!

With multi-colour foil lid...

White - milk, green - kefir, golden - fermented baked milk ...

And she is a treasure in her own right! The price of an empty container is 15 kopecks! A pack of cigarettes, damn it!

A pack of "Prima" for 14 kopecks and a box of matches!

Thus, by handing over empty dishes, one could buy something.

This also applied to wine and beer bottles, which cost from 12 to 20 kopecks a day.

depending on the volume, then it seems that in 1983 everyone began to cost the same 20 kopecks.

There was even a joke. What is the derivative of drunkenness? - booze on handed over dishes!

So that booze is good in which the second derivative is not equal to zero!

True, there were still triangular bags, but they always flowed,

and later, by the 80s, tetrapacks appeared ...

Now let's go to the grocery store and go to the meat department and we will be greeted right away by...

Not right! Not meat, but this poster!

Exactly the same poster was about lamb and about pork. And standing in front of an almost empty shop window

you began to quietly shize ... You saw juicy chops from the loin of beef, or shish kebab

from a young lamb, well, or, pork roast ...

And leaving the store with a "soup set" you, with a half-empty string bag, trudged home!

Everything is like in a sad joke of those years. In the "meat" there is no meat, but in the fish - fish ...

And you can't say that you don't have money! Well, yes, you are not a millionaire, but in almost every Soviet

the family had this gray book! And even several, and during the Gaidar shock

a lot of people got burned with them ... Until the last they believed in the Savings Bank ...

And in the USSR, it was a way to save up for something worthwhile. It's no secret that when

money can be easily put somewhere (under linen in a closet, in a jar on the mezzanine, in a book

on a bookshelf, etc. etc.), then they get out of there as soon as you want!

Another thing is a savings book ...

While you go to the savings bank with it, and stand in line - you look and the desire to spend is gone ...

I suggest you leave the store and look, for example, at the Pharmacy!

I think that in terms of the number of customers, pharmacies are not inferior to stores, but there were years when

pharmacies and excelled. For example, during the years of the anti-alcohol struggle!

All kinds of penny alcohol tinctures instantly disappeared from the shelves of pharmacies

And then it was his turn...

Well, of course it is! Handsome "Triple"! Well, if there were ladies, then some "Lilac" was taken

And here is the famous tooth powder. Who could have known that it acts like an abrasive stone on the teeth!?

But the buckle from the belt, with his help, I polished to a shine!

For the sake of truth, I’ll say that during the years of my childhood it was sold not in a metal, but in a cardboard box.

And in Soviet pharmacies, a set "drug addict's dream" was sold.

Ephedrine - please, solutan - as much as you want, and absolutely "codeine with terpinhydrate" ...

True, in the early 80s the latter was banned ...

Well, now about the saint! About sex! They say that there was no sex in the USSR! Bullshit!

There was sex, but fraught with difficulties ...

Actually, that's what the Soviet people are for, to heroically overcome them!

In hostels - raids, in hotels, in one room - according to the passport,

the housing issue was no less, but more severe than it is now,

so if you want to "live" know how to spin ...

There were even condoms!

So, it was "rubber" that was called the unsightly product No. 2 of the Bakov factory

rubber products, the first product seems to be a gas mask ...

"Rubber" - just enough, but this is the work of Bakovka, abundantly sprinkled with talc

and with the characteristic smell of galoshes, as a rule, it did not cause violent joy.

Of course, sometimes some people were "lucky" and they got the product "from there".

Legends about all kinds of colors, designs and bells and whistles were passed from mouth to mouth.

But for the majority of the population of our homeland, "rubber" remained.

Closer to the 80s, other products of the same manufacturer appeared - "checked by electronics":

So! Let's go outside. Let's go out and go to the retail places.

Retail trade blossomed in the summer. What do you want most on a hot summer day?

Well, of course, drink! And here His Majesty Kvass comes to the rescue!

I think that there is not a single person who would not love this wonderful drink,

even if he is "barrel" ...

12 kopecks a liter, 6 kopecks "large" half-liter mug and 3 kopecks "small 250 grams.

Glass mugs, of course, rinse them right there - so don't be afraid - maybe it will blow over ...

The same mugs in all pubs ...

Particularly squeamish carried mugs with them, some drank from half-liter jars ...

But kvass has an undoubted competitor - Her Highness Soda!

The picture shows wonderful vending machines for soda water from the Kharkov plant.

3 kopecks with syrup and 1 kopeck "clean". The machines have changed, but the price has not.

The vending machines had faceted glasses.

I washed them myself...

And another leader in street sales - Their Excellency Beer! Cask!

However, closer to the 80s, barrels of beer in Moscow disappeared, replaced by stationary stalls

and semi-automatic breweries.

BUT that there was no queue? I suspect that this is the so-called. staged photo!

But such machines were usually in large organizations

or in specialized automatic cafes.

But all good things come to an end... Summer ends and barrels go to warehouses,

and the machines are "preserved" ...

Let's have a rest ... And this is for fun

The question is, how much did these cigarettes cost and what did the people call them?

In the USSR there could not be a cult of wealth, but there was a cult of things. The fetishism of a Soviet citizen contained a wide range of passions - from flashy carpets to mink hats.

1. Carpet
The carpet in the Soviet apartment performed several important functions at once. On the one hand, it symbolized the high social status of the owner of the apartment, on the other hand, it helped to improve the sound and heat insulation of the apartment. The best carpets were considered to be Turkmen, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Armenian and Dagestan.


2. Elephants
It was believed that seven elephants “small small less”, lined up somewhere on a sideboard shelf, bring happiness and good luck to the house. They were made from different materials, but the most popular were ceramics and marble. When the elephants disappeared into the hands of a child, most often the matter ended with gluing the broken trunk back into place.


3. Bohemian glass chandelier
A service made of Czech glass was in almost every house, it was taken out only on holidays. But it was not Czech crystal on the table that was considered chic, but a Bohemian glass chandelier. It was an indicator of the high status of the family, once every six months it was removed and thoroughly washed from dust, after which it was returned to its original place.


4. Refrigerator "Minsk"
In 1962, the Minsk plant produced its first refrigerator "Minsk-1". Compared to its pot-bellied and massive predecessors, Minsk-1 seemed slender and tall and handsome. By the 1970s, the Minsk plant began to produce two-chamber refrigerators. The main competitor of Minsk was the ZIL refrigerator.


5. Perfume "Klima"
Perfumes in the USSR were not uncommon, women loved good fragrances and used them in everyday life. But the French perfume "Climat" was considered not only a sign of good taste, but also of high prosperity. One bottle of such perfume cost at least 25 rubles, which was about a quarter of the average salary.


6. Finnish plumbing
Every Soviet family wanted to have plumbing fixtures from Finland at home. There were two reasons for its popularity. First, it was available to the domestic consumer. Secondly, the Finnish plumbing had one small advantage over the domestic one. In addition to quality, Finnish plumbing was also beautiful.


7. Large color TV
In our time, the main decoration of the table is what?<…>TV set!" - said the postman Pechkin. And he was absolutely right. Every proper Soviet apartment had to have a TV set. Preferably in color. Preferably - two, one in the living room, and the other, smaller, in the kitchen. If it was impossible to get an imported Sony or Philips, then the best option was Rubin-714, the most massive color TV of the Soviet era.


8. Yugoslav "wall"
A wall cabinet was an attribute of almost every family in the USSR. They managed to build a wall even in the smallest apartment, since it was very prestigious to have Yugoslav furniture in the house. Behind it, they either stood in lines, or bought from speculators at a higher price. The reasons for the popularity were quite objective - the quality of the Yugoslav "walls" was very high.


9. Vacuum cleaner "Typhoon"
Typhoon vacuum cleaners were very popular in the Soviet Union. They were incredibly powerful, if such a device was turned on in the apartment, then the TV screen was covered with interference, and the radio began to stutter. If the Typhoon sucked something, it sucked it. It is not surprising that vacuum cleaners that have survived to this day are still used for cleaning, but now for construction debris.


10. Separate apartment
Getting a separate apartment was a great success in the USSR. They stood in queues for an apartment for years, while living either in cramped communal apartments, or in family dormitories, or in one apartment with numerous relatives.


11. Vinyl player
It was not easy to get a good vinyl player in the USSR. Of course, players were produced in the Union, but many of them "washed down" records. Even "Vega-106", a Polish filling in domestic packaging, was much inferior to foreign counterparts. Therefore, getting a real Philips was chic and good luck.


12. Car
In the USSR, not everyone had a car. Having your own car spoke of the wealth of a person, and the brand of the car made it possible to determine the degree of his income. It's one thing - the owner of "Zaporozhets" or the old "Victory", another - the new "Zhiguli". The most prestigious was to own a foreign car, which was bought from hand for a lot of money.


13. Jewelry
Gold earrings and rings, jeweled brooches and bracelets were luxury items. Jewelry was expensive, but at the same time there were in every house - they saved up for them, they got them and, as a result, they were inherited. At the same time, the service of sawing rings became popular - it cost much less than buying a new one for a wider finger.


14. Mink hat
In the 80s of the last century, mink hats became fashionable in the USSR. They were insanely popular, but not everyone could afford them. One such hat could cost almost two average salaries, so hat thieves appeared. They stole mink hats and resold them. As a result, special elastic bands were sewn to the hats, which did not allow them to tear off the hat and run away.


15. Women's gold watch
The elegant women's watch "The Seagull" was produced in a relatively small edition, and it was good luck to get one. Separately, they collected watches with a gold bracelet instead of a strap, and such a small accessory automatically became evidence of a woman's high status. Not everyone could afford such jewelry; the cost of a gold watch could reach 700 Soviet rubles.

The more people want to return to it. Life in the USSR was not ideal, but people get bored, remember and compare. Today, this era still excites and excites compatriots. Sometimes serious debates unfold in society, finding out how happy the Soviet people were and how they lived in the USSR.

Differently

According to the recollections of most compatriots, it was a simple and happy life for millions of people who were proud of their great power and aspired to a brighter future. Stability was a hallmark of that time: no one was afraid of tomorrow, or rising prices, or layoffs. People had a strong foundation under them, because, as they say, they could sleep peacefully.

There were pluses and minuses in the life of the USSR. Someone remembers the endless queues and the shortage of that time, someone can’t forget the availability of education and medicine, but someone continues to nostalgic for kind and trusting human relationships that had nothing to do with material values ​​and status.

He had a very close and friendly relationship with each other. It was not a question to sit with the neighbor's kids or run to the pharmacy for anyone. The laundry was free to dry outside, and the keys to the apartment lay under the rug. No one thought about the bars on the windows and iron doors, there was no one to steal. On the streets, passers-by willingly helped the lost to find their way, carry heavy bags or cross the road for the old man. Everything was attended to and taken care of. It is no wonder that visiting foreigners fell in love with this country, shocked by the warmth that they met here.

Together

For today, isolation, seclusion and alienation are more and more characteristic - a person may not know who lives next to him on the site. The Soviet man, on the other hand, was very distinguished by a heightened sense of collectivism, the whole society seemed to be tightly soldered. Therefore, in the USSR they lived as one big friendly family. Everything was inculcated from kindergarten, then school, institute, production. Residents of an apartment building could easily know each other by last name. Everything was done together and together.

Collectivism is considered the greatest achievement. Everyone felt that he belonged to a great people, he lived by the interests and joys of his country, his city, his enterprise. A person was never left alone: ​​weekdays, sorrows and holidays in the USSR were lived by the whole team. And the worst thing that could happen to a person is when he was excluded from society. The worst thing was to be "overboard" from everyone.

Learn, learn and learn

Indeed, Soviet citizens had the right to free education - this was another pride of the Land of the Soviets. Moreover, secondary education was universal and compulsory. And anyone could enter the university after successfully passing the entrance exams.

The attitude to school in the USSR, and to education in general, is very different from the modern one. It would never even occur to a schoolboy or student to miss classes. The main source of knowledge was his notes, his progress depended on how he would listen and write down the teacher.

A separate point worth emphasizing was the respect with which teachers were treated. There was always silence in the classrooms, no unnecessary conversations and noise, there was absolute concentration on the lesson. And God forbid someone be late for class - you won't be ashamed.

Now some are questioning the level of Soviet education, but scientists and specialists brought up in this “bad system” are selling like hot cakes abroad.

Free medicine

Another of the most weighty arguments in favor of the USSR. Soviet people could always count on qualified free medical care. Annual examinations, dispensaries, vaccinations. All treatments were available. And going to the clinic, there was no need to wonder how much money might be needed and whether it would be enough. The party took good care of the health of its workers - it was possible to get a ticket to a sanatorium-dispensary without problems and "going through the throes".

Women were not afraid to give birth, because there was no such puzzlement as to feed and "bring to the people." Accordingly, the birth rate grew, and no additional benefits and incentives were needed for this.

A normalized work schedule, the level of medicine, relative stability in life, healthy nutrition - all this led to the fact that in the 80s the USSR was in the top ten countries with high life expectancy (average life expectancy).

Housing problem

Life in the USSR was not sweet in many ways, however, every Soviet citizen from the age of 18 had the right to housing. Of course, we are not talking about palaces, but no one remained on the street. The resulting apartments were not private property, as they belonged to the state, but they were assigned to people for life.

It should be noted that the housing problem was one of the sore points of the Soviet Union. Only a tiny percentage of registered families received new housing. The apartment queues stretched out for many, many years, despite the fact that every year housing construction reported on the delivery of new microdistricts.

Other values

Money has never been an end in itself for a Soviet person. People worked and worked hard, but it was for an idea, for a dream. And any interest or desire for material goods was not considered worthy. Neighbors and colleagues easily lent each other "three rubles before payday" and did not count the days of her return. Money did not decide anything, relationships decided, everything was built on them.

Salaries in the USSR were decent, such that half of the country could afford to fly planes without compromising the family budget. It was available to the masses. What are student scholarships worth? 35-40 rubles, for excellent students - all 50. It was quite possible to do without the help of mom and dad.

The work of working craftsmen was especially appreciated. A qualified specialist at the plant could receive more than his director. And that was okay. There were no shameful professions, the janitor and the technician were respected no less than the accountant. Between the "tops" and "bottoms" there was not that insurmountable abyss that can be observed now.

As for the value of the ruble itself in the USSR, this is one of the most popular funds of that time. Its owner could afford to buy the following to choose from: two large packs of dumplings, 10 meat pies, 3 liters of kefir, 10 kg of potatoes, 20 subway rides, 10 liters of gasoline. This is impressive.

Well deserved rest

Through the law, the state guaranteed material security for Soviet citizens in old age. Pension in the USSR allowed the elderly to live in relative prosperity. There was no need to go to extra work. The old people nursed their grandchildren, took care of summer cottages, went to rest in a sanatorium. Nowhere was there such a picture that a pensioner was counting pennies for medicine or milk, and even worse - standing with outstretched hand.

The average pension in the USSR ranged from 70 to 120 rubles. Military or personal pensions were certainly higher. At the same time, only 5 rubles were spent on housing and communal services. Pensioners then did not survive, but lived, and also helped their grandchildren.

But in fairness, it should be noted that not everything was so rosy for pensioners-collective farmers. For them, only in 1964 was the law on pensions and benefits adopted. And those were mere pennies.

Culture in the USSR

Culture, like life itself in the USSR, was ambiguous. In fact, it was divided into official and "underground". Not all writers could publish. Unrecognized creators used samizdat to reach their readers.

They controlled everything and everyone. Someone had to leave the country, someone was sent into exile for "parasitism", and the ardent petitions of colleagues could not save them from a foreign land. Do not forget the smashed exhibition of avant-garde artists. This act said it all.

The dominance of socialism in art led to the degradation of the taste of the Soviet people - the inability to perceive something else, more complex than the surrounding reality. And where is the flight of thought and fantasy here? Representatives of the creative intelligentsia had a very difficult life in the USSR.

In the cinema, the picture was not so sad, although here censorship did not doze. World-class masterpieces are filmed that still do not leave the TV screen: the adaptation of the classic "War and Peace" by S. F. Bondarchuk, the comedy by L. I. Gaidai and E. A. Ryazanov, "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears" by V. V. Menshov and much more.

It is impossible to ignore pop music, which was of great importance for the Soviet people. No matter how hard the relevant authorities tried, but Western rock culture penetrated the country and influenced popular music. "Pesnyary", "Gems", "Time Machine" - the appearance of such ensembles was a breakthrough.

I remember

Nostalgia for the USSR continues to gain momentum. In view of today's realities, people remember everything: the pioneers, and the Komsomol, and the availability of kindergartens, and summer camps for children, free sections and circles, and the absence of homeless people on the street. In a word, a stable and peaceful life.

They also remember the holidays in the USSR, how they walked shoulder to shoulder in parades with their heads held high. Proud of their country, for its great achievements, for the heroism of their people. They remember how representatives of different nationalities lived together in the neighborhood and there was no division and intolerance. There was a comrade, friend and brother - a Soviet man.

For some, the USSR is the "lost paradise", while others shudder with horror at the mention of that time. Oddly enough, both are right. And the bygone era can not be forgotten, this is our history.